Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 245 / Friday, December 20, 2024 / Notices 104077 

1To view the notice and the supporting 

documents, go to www.regulations.gov. Enter 

APHIS–2023–0040 in the Search field. 

2On September 30, 2022, the APHIS Fruits and 

Vegetables Import Requirements (FAVIR) database 

was replaced by the ACIR database. 

Specialist, Regulatory Coordination and 

Compliance, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River 

Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737– 

1231; (518) 760–2468; Gina.L.Stiltner@

USDA.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Under the regulations in ‘‘Subpart L– 

Fruits and Vegetables’’ (7 CFR 319.56– 

1 through 319.56–12, referred to below 

as the regulations), the Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

prohibits or restricts the importation of 

fruits and vegetables into the United 

States from certain parts of the world to 

prevent plant pests from being 

introduced into or disseminated within 

the United States. 

Section 319.56–4 contains a 

performance-based process for 

approving the importation of fruits and 

vegetables that, based on the findings of 

a pest risk analysis, can be safely 

imported subject to one or more of the 

five designated phytosanitary measures 

listed in paragraph (b) of that section. 

Under that process, APHIS proposes to 

authorize the importation of a fruit or 

vegetable into the United States if, based 

on findings of a pest risk analysis, we 

determine that the measures can 

mitigate the plant pest risk associated 

with the importation of that fruit or 

vegetable. APHIS then publishes a 

notice in the Federal Register 

announcing the availability of the pest 

risk analysis that evaluates the risks 

associated with the importation of a 

particular fruit or vegetable. Following 

the close of the 60-day comment period, 

APHIS will issue a subsequent Federal 

Register notice announcing whether or 

not we will authorize the importation of 

the fruit or vegetable subject to the 

phytosanitary measures specified in the 

notice. 

In accordance with that process, we 

published a notice 1 in the Federal 

Register on April 4, 2024 (89 FR 23537, 

Docket No. APHIS–2023–0040) in 

which we announced the availability, 

for review and comment, of pest risk 

analyses that evaluated the risks 

associated with the importation of fresh 

leaves and stems of rosemary 

(Rosmarinus officinalis) and fresh leaves 

and stems of tarragon (Artemesia 

dracunculus) from Ethiopia into the 

continental United States. The pest risk 

analyses consisted of risk assessments 

identifying pests of quarantine 

significance that could follow the 

pathway of the importation of fresh 

leaves and stems of rosemary and 

tarragon into the continental United 

States from Ethiopia and risk 

management documents (RMDs) 

identifying phytosanitary measures to 

be applied to these commodities to 

mitigate the pest risk. 

We solicited comments on the notice 

for 60 days, ending on June 3, 2024. We 

received no comments by that date. 

Therefore, in accordance with 

§ 319.56–4(c)(3)(iii), we are announcing 

our decision to authorize the 

importation into the continental United 

States of fresh leaves and stems of 

rosemary and fresh leaves and stems of 

tarragon from Ethiopia subject to the 

phytosanitary measures identified in the 

RMDs that accompanied the initial 

notice. 

These conditions will be listed in the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, APHIS 

Agricultural Commodity Import 

Requirements (ACIR) database (https://

acir.aphis.usda.gov/s/).2 In addition to 

these specific measures, each shipment 

must be subject to the general 

requirements listed in § 319.56–3 that 

are applicable to the importation of all 

fruits and vegetables. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 

et seq.), the recordkeeping and burden 

requirements associated with this action 

are included under the Office of 

Management and Budget control 

number 0579–0049. 

E-Government Act Compliance 

The Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service is committed to 

compliance with the E-Government Act 

to promote the use of the internet and 

other information technologies, to 

provide increased opportunities for 

citizen access to Government 

information and services, and for other 

purposes. For information pertinent to 

E-Government Act compliance related 

to this notice, please contact Mr. Joseph 

Moxey, APHIS’ Paperwork Reduction 

Act Coordinator, at (301) 851–2533. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1633, 7701–7772, 

and 7781–7786; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 

7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.3. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 16th day of 

December 2024. 

Michael Watson, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30453 Filed 12–19–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food Safety and Inspection Service 

[Docket No. FSIS–2024–0024] 

National Advisory Committee on 

Microbiological Criteria for Foods; 

Membership Nominations 

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection 

Service (FSIS), U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA). 

ACTION: Notice; soliciting nominations. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of 

the rules and regulations of the USDA 

and the Federal Advisory Committee 

Act (FACA), the USDA is soliciting 

nominations for membership on the 

National Advisory Committee on 

Microbiological Criteria for Foods 

(NACMCF)and announcing potential 

charges for the 2025–2027 term. USDA 

seeks to appoint 30 members. Advisory 

Committee members serve a two-year 

term beginning September 2025 through 

September 2027. Members may be 

reappointed for one additional 

consecutive term at the discretion of the 

Secretary of Agriculture. 

DATES: All nomination packages must be 

received by February 18, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: Nomination packages 

should be sent by email to NACMCF@

usda.gov, or mailed to: The Honorable 

Thomas Vilsack, Secretary, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Room 1128 

South Building, Attn: Kristal Southern, 

Designated Federal Officer, 

FSIS\OPHS\National Advisory 

Committee on Microbiological Criteria 

for Foods, Washington, DC 20250. 

Docket: For access to documents, call 

(202) 205–5046 to schedule a time to 

visit the FSIS Docket Room at 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–3700. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kristal Southern, Designated Federal 

Officer, by email to NACMCF@usda.gov 

or by telephone at 202–937–4162. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: USDA is 

soliciting nominations for membership 

to the NACMCF. USDA seeks to appoint 

30 members. 

To obtain a scientific perspective that 

considers all stakeholders, USDA is 

seeking NACMCF nominees with 

scientific expertise in microbiology, risk 

assessment, public health, food science, 

and other relevant disciplines. USDA is 

seeking nominations for NACMCF from 

persons in academia, industry, and State 

governments, as well as all other 

interested persons with the required 

expertise. 

All nominees will undergo a USDA 

background check. Advisory committee 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
104078 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 245 / Friday, December 20, 2024 / Notices 

members who are not Federal 

government employees will be 

appointed to serve as non-compensated 

special government employees (SGE). 

SGEs will be subject to appropriate 

conflict of interest statutes and 

standards of ethical conduct. Members 

can serve on only one USDA Advisory 

Committee at a time. Applicants that are 

federally registered lobbyists will not be 

considered for USDA’s NACMCF. 

Committee members serve 2-year 

terms that can be reappointed for one 

additional term. Former members are 

eligible for repeat service after one term 

of non-service. 

Nominations for membership on the 

NACMCF must be addressed to the 

Secretary of Agriculture and a complete 

nomination package must include: a 

cover letter addressing the nomination, 

a resume or curriculum vitae, and a 

completed USDA Advisory Committee 

Membership Background Information 

form AD–755 (available online at: 

https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/ 

files/documents/ad-755.pdf). 

The resume or curriculum vitae must 

be limited to five one-sided pages and 

should include educational background, 

expertise, and a list of select 

publications, if available. Any 

submissions with more than the 

prescribed five one-sided pages in 

length will have only the first five pages 

reviewed. A person may self-nominate, 

or a nomination can be made on behalf 

of someone else. 

Background 

The NACMCF provides impartial 

scientific advice and recommendations 

to the USDA and other government 

agencies on microbiological and public 

health issues relative to the safety of the 

U.S. food supply. 

The NACMCF is a discretionary 

advisory committee that was established 

in 1988, by the Secretary of Agriculture, 

and after consulting with the Secretary 

of the U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services, in response to the 

recommendations of two external 

organizations. The National Academy of 

Sciences recommended an interagency 

approach to microbiological criteria, 

since various federal, State, and local 

agencies are responsible for food safety. 

Also, the U.S. House of Representatives 

Committee on Appropriations made a 

similar recommendation in the Rural 

Development, Agriculture, and Related 

Agencies Appropriation Bill for fiscal 

year 1988. The charter for the NACMCF 

is available for viewing at https://

www.fsis.usda.gov/policy/advisorycommittees/national-advisorycommittee-microbiological-criteriafoods-nacmcf. The food safety programs 

of the USDA FSIS and the Food and 

Drug Administration (FDA) are 

strengthened through NACMCF 

recommendations. The programs of 

other Federal agencies concerned with 

food safety, including the Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention, the 

Department of Commerce, National 

Marine Fisheries Service, and the 

Department of Defense, Veterinary 

Services also benefit from NACMCF 

work. FSIS anticipates that the 2025– 

2027 term Committee will work on 

charges related to one or more of the 

following topics: Listeria 

monocytogenes in ready-to-eat meat and 

poultry products from FSIS, and food 

safety strategies for aged raw milk 

cheeses, from FDA. 

The Committee reports to the 

Secretary of Agriculture through the 

Under Secretary for Food Safety, the 

Committee’s Chair, and to the Secretary 

of Health and Human Services through 

the Assistant Secretary for Health or 

their representative, the Committee’s 

Vice-Chair. Currently, Dr. Jose ́ Emilio 

Esteban, Under Secretary for Food 

Safety, USDA, is the Committee Chair; 

Dr. Donald Prater, Principal Associate 

Commissioner for Human Foods, FDA, 

is the Vice-Chair; and Dr. Kristal 

Southern, FSIS, is the Director of the 

NACMCF Secretariat and Designated 

Federal Officer. 

Appointments to the Committee will 

be made by the Secretary of Agriculture 

and take into account the needs of the 

diverse groups served by the USDA. 

The full Committee expects to meet at 

least once a year, virtually or in person, 

and the meetings will be announced in 

advance in the Federal Register. 

NACMCF holds subcommittee meetings 

in order to accomplish the work of the 

Committee; all subcommittee work is 

reviewed and approved during a public 

meeting of the full Committee, as 

announced in the Federal Register. 

Subcommittees may invite technical 

experts to present information for 

consideration by the subcommittee. All 

data and records available to the full 

Committee are expected to be available 

to the public after the full Committee 

has reviewed and approved the work of 

the subcommittee. 

Advisory committee members are 

expected to attend all scheduled 

meetings during their 2-year term to 

ensure the smooth functioning of the 

advisory committee. Members must be 

prepared to work outside of scheduled 

Committee and subcommittee meetings 

and may be required to assist in 

document preparation. Committee 

members serve on a voluntary basis; 

however, travel expenses and per diem 

reimbursements are available when in 

person meetings occur. 

Regarding Nominees Who Are Selected 

All SGE and Federal government 

employee nominees who are selected 

must complete the Office of Government 

Ethics (OGE) 450 Confidential Financial 

Disclosure Report before rendering any 

advice or before their first meeting. All 

Committee members will be reviewed 

pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 208 for conflicts 

of interest relating to specific NACMCF 

work charges, and financial disclosure 

updates will be required annually. 

Members subject to financial disclosure 

must report any changes in financial 

holdings requiring additional 

disclosure. OGE 450 forms are available 

online at: https://www.oge.gov/web/ 

oge.nsf/ethicsofficials_financial-disc. 

Documents and Comments 

NACMCF documents and comments 

posted on the FSIS website are 

electronic conversions from a variety of 

source formats. In some cases, 

document conversion may result in 

character translation or formatting 

errors. The original document is the 

official, legal copy. To meet the 

electronic and information technology 

accessibility standards in Section 508 of 

the Rehabilitation Act, NACMCF may 

add alternate text descriptors for nontext elements (graphs, charts, tables, 

multimedia, etc.). These modifications 

only affect the internet copies of the 

documents. Copyrighted documents 

will not be posted on FSIS’ website but 

will be available for inspection in the 

FSIS Docket Room. 

Additional Public Notification 

Public awareness of all segments of 

rulemaking and policy development is 

important.Consequently, FSIS will 

announce this Federal Register 

publication on-line through the FSIS 

web page located at: http://

www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register. 

FSIS will also announce and provide 

a link to it through the FSIS Constituent 

Update, which is used to provide 

information regarding FSIS policies, 

procedures, regulations, Federal 

Register notices, FSIS public meetings, 

and other types of information that 

could affect or would be of interest to 

our constituents and stakeholders. The 

Constituent Update is available on the 

FSIS web page. Through the web page, 

FSIS is able to provide information to a 

much broader, more diverse audience. 

In addition, FSIS offers an email 

subscription service which provides 

automatic and customized access to 

selected food safety news and 

information. This service is available at: 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 245 / Friday, December 20, 2024 / Notices 104079 

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/subscribe. 

Options range from recalls to export 

information, regulations, directives, and 

notices. Customers can add or delete 

subscriptions themselves and have the 

option to password protect their 

accounts. 

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement 

In accordance with Federal civil 

rights law and USDA civil rights 

regulations and policies, USDA, its 

Mission Areas, agencies, staff offices, 

employees, and institutions 

participating in or administering USDA 

programs are prohibited from 

discriminating based on race, color, 

national origin, religion, sex, gender 

identity (including gender expression), 

sexual orientation, disability, age, 

marital status, family/parental status, 

income derived from a public assistance 

program, political beliefs, or reprisal or 

retaliation for prior civil rights activity, 

in any program or activity conducted or 

funded by USDA (not all bases apply to 

all programs). Remedies and complaint 

filing deadlines vary by program or 

incident. Program information may be 

made available in languages other than 

English. Persons with disabilities who 

require alternative means of 

communication to obtain program 

information (e.g., Braille, large print, 

audiotape, American Sign Language) 

should contact the responsible Mission 

Area, agency, or staff office; the USDA 

TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 

(voice and TTY); or the Federal Relay 

Service at (800) 877–8339. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, a complainant should 

complete Form AD–3027, USDA 

Program Discrimination Complaint 

Form, which can be obtained online at 

https://www.usda.gov/forms/electronicforms, from any USDA office, by calling 

(866) 632–9992, or by writing a letter 

addressed to USDA. The letter must 

contain the complainant’s name, 

address, telephone number, and a 

written description of the alleged 

discriminatory action in sufficient detail 

to inform the Assistant Secretary for 

Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature 

and date of an alleged civil rights 

violation. The completed AD–3027 form 

or letter must be submitted to USDA by: 

(1) Mail: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410; or 

(2) Fax: (833) 256–1665 or (202) 690– 

7442; or 

(3) Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. Equal 

opportunity practices in accordance 

with USDA’s policies will be followed 

in all member appointments to the 

committee. To ensure that the 

recommendations of the committee 

consider the needs of the diverse groups 

served by USDA, membership shall 

include, to the extent practicable, 

individuals with demonstrated ability to 

represent the many communities, 

identities, races, ethnicities, 

backgrounds, abilities, cultures, and 

beliefs of the American people, 

including underserved communities. 

Dated: December 13, 2024. 

Cikena Reid, 

USDA Committee Management Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30484 Filed 12–19–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Ottawa National Forest Resource 

Advisory Committee 

AGENCY: Forest Service, Agriculture 

(USDA). 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Ottawa National Forest 

Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) 

will hold a public meeting according to 

the details shown below. The committee 

is authorized under the Secure Rural 

Schools and Community SelfDetermination Act (the Act) and 

operates in compliance with the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act. The purpose 

of the committee is to improve 

collaborative relationships and to 

provide advice and recommendations to 

the Forest Service concerning projects 

and funding consistent with Title II of 

the Act, as well as make 

recommendations on recreation fee 

proposals for sites on the Ottawa 

National Forest, consistent with the 

Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement 

Act. 

DATES: An in-person meeting will be 

held on January 22, 2025, 8:30 a.m. to 

4 p.m., Central Standard Time. 

Written and Oral Comments: Anyone 

wishing to provide in-person oral 

comments must pre-register by 11:59 

p.m. Central Standard Time on January 

15, 2025. Written public comments will 

be accepted by 11:59 p.m. Central 

Standard Time on January 15, 2025. 

Comments submitted after this date will 

be provided by the Forest Service to the 

committee, but the committee may not 

have adequate time to consider those 

comments prior to the meeting. 

All committee meetings are subject to 

cancellation. For status of the meeting 

prior to attendance, please contact the 

person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. 

ADDRESSES: This meeting will be held in 

person at the Watersmeet District Office, 

located at E23979 US 2 East, 

Watersmeet, Michigan 49969. 

Committee information and meeting 

details can be found at the following 

website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/ 

ottawa/workingtogether/ 

advisorycommittees or by contacting the 

person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. 

Written Comments: Written comments 

must be sent by email to paul.holeva@

usda.gov or via mail (postmarked) to 

Paul Holeva, Ottawa National Forest 

RAC Coordinator, E23979 US 2 East, 

Watersmeet, Michigan 49969. The 

Forest Service strongly prefers 

comments be submitted electronically. 

Oral Comments: Persons or 

organizations wishing to make oral 

comments must pre-register by 11:59 

p.m. Central Standard Time on January 

15, 2025, and speakers can only register 

for one speaking slot. Oral comments 

must be sent by email to paul.holeva@

usda.gov or via mail (postmarked) to 

Paul Holeva, Ottawa National Forest 

RAC Coordinator, E23979 US 2 East, 

Watersmeet, Michigan 49969. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Darla Lenz, Designated Federal Officer, 

by phone at (218) 556–5564 or email at 

darla.lenz@usda.gov; or Paul Holeva, 

RAC Coordinator, at (906) 280–8924 or 

email at paul.holeva@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

purpose of the meeting is to make 

funding recommendations on Title II 

projects. 

The agenda will include time for 

individuals to make oral statements of 

three minutes or less. Individuals 

wishing to make an oral statement 

should make a request in writing at least 

three days prior to the meeting date to 

be scheduled on the agenda. Written 

comments may be submitted to the 

Forest Service up to 14 days after the 

meeting date listed under DATES. 

Please contact the person listed under 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, by 

or before the deadline, for all questions 

related to the meeting. All comments, 

including names and addresses when 

provided, are placed in the record and 

are available for public inspection and 

copying. The public may inspect 

comments received upon request. 

Meeting Accommodations: The 

meeting location is compliant with the 

Americans with Disabilities Act, and the 

USDA provides reasonable 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1